Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has slammed the Government after figures revealed that British Army recruits have dropped by 14% in the North West of England – as Conservatives continue to push ahead with further cuts of 10,000 troops to the Army.
Only 800 people were recruited into the British Army from the North West in the last year. This has fallen from 930 since 2021.
Full Time Trained Army Strength has fallen from over 100,000 in 2010 to 77,190 in 2022. The Government has agreed to a £1.7bn real terms cut in day-to-day spending between now and 2025, meaning less money for Forces pay, recruitment training and families.
Ministers are set to axe one in five soldiers from the British Infantry by the time of the next election. Gwynne is calling on the Government to immediately halt these plans.
Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:
“In the midst of growing Russian aggression, the Conservatives are continuing to weaken the foundation of our Armed Forces.
Since 2010, the Tories have wasted £15bn of taxpayers money through mismanagement of defence procurement programmes. Instead of clamping down on their own incompetence, they’ve decided to cut the British Army to its smallest size in 300 years, with frontline troops bearing the brunt of these cuts.
Ministers must halt these cuts immediately. Our Armed Forces are essential to our national security and resilience.”